


Than Anywhere Away From You

by hedwwig



Category: Community (TV)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychological Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-30
Updated: 2014-07-30
Packaged: 2018-02-11 00:23:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2045943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hedwwig/pseuds/hedwwig
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Troy's adventure didn't come without consequences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Than Anywhere Away From You

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from "Wake Me" by Bleachers. A wee little ficlet for a prompt.

Abed was terrified. Troy had been tossing and turning in the bunk above him all night, but not like this. Troy’s gasping, muttering and flailing had woken Abed up. Something was really wrong.

The clock read 4:18. It didn’t matter, Abed was fully awake. He got out of bed and stood up, looking to the top bunk to see what was going on. He figured he knew.

Troy was still asleep, but was breathing erratically, and tossing violently. Abed could see tear tracks running down his face. 

"No. No stop, let me go… stop… no, NO, NO, I CAN’T BREATHE!"

Troy seemed to wake up as he screamed the last few words, his eyes shooting open to find Abed’s nose a few inches from his face. He began yelling, but almost as suddenly dissolved into tears, rolling over away from him as reality returned, and he realized that his best friend was not a pirate bent on destroying him, and his blankets weren’t ropes tied much too tightly around his chest, and the air in the room was thick because of his own sweat and body heat- not from that of a dozen burly men in a stale galley. 

Abed waited a few minutes before putting his hand on Troy’s left shoulder. Troy’s right hand came around and grabbed Abed’s like it was a lifeline, or maybe a life preserver in the middle of the ocean, with gunshots still ringing in his ears. 

Abed continued to wait, still not speaking. Troy finally rolled over, still sniffling. Abed raised an eyebrow, and Troy nodded in response. Abed climbed back into bed as Troy descended shakily from the upper bunk. Troy looked at him, and Abed patted the mattress beside him, cautiously proffering an arm. Troy climbed into bed, not caring that it was much too small for two grown men to share. As Abed’s other arm carefully wrapped around him, he tensed. Abed stopped. Troy burrowed closer into his friend’s side, and reminded himself that the ropes were gone, and what surrounded him now could never harm him. 

He was safe now. As safe as he was ever going to be. 

He fell back asleep.


End file.
